


Floriography

by Icka M Chif (mischif)



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blanket Permission, Curses, Fluff and Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, Jackrabbit Week, Language of Flowers, M/M, Not really angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:49:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14181045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischif/pseuds/Icka%20M%20Chif
Summary: Jack ducked his head and shrugged, not denying it, but not agreeing either. “Actually, I had a question for you. North mentioned that I should talk to you about Hanahaki? You shouted something about it at Pitch earlier?”“You could say I’m an expert at it.” Aster demurred. “How’d you end up with it?”ForJackrabbit Weekprompt, 'Periwinkle'.





	Floriography

* * *

“-People believe in me.” Aster growled, ignoring the gasps around him, his eyes on Jack’s hard expression, the winter spirit not backing down in the least.

It was crossed a line, Aster could tell. But he couldn’t take the words back, not even if he wanted. He’d meant to posture, not bludgeon the lad. 

Jack audiably inhaled, no doubt to tear Aster a new one, then turned to the side, coughing hard enough it made Aster’s chest ache in sympathy.

“Are you alright?” North asked, gently pulling Aster aside to step forward, closer to the lad.

“Peachy.” Jack rasped, then spat, something frozen hitting the ground and shattering.

Aster was about to protest Jack’s sullying up the place when he realised it wasn’t a gob of spit on the floor, but a white rose, with some of the outer petals broken off.

White rose, ' _Purity, Innocence, Silence_ '.

“Hanahaki.” Tooth gasped, covering mouth with her hands. “Oh, Jack.”

Aster grimaced, he was all too intimately familiar with Hanahaki, as he was the one to inadvertently introduce the disease to the human race.

The infected person coughed up flowers when they suffered from a one sided love.

Humans had three options. Confess and the flowers would fade away if the love was returned. Die as the flowers clogged the airways and digestive system. Or the more modern option, have the infection surgically removed, killing the feelings as well.

“Relax.” Jack grumbled, then coughed, choking on petals. He wiped his mouth with the back of a frost covered arm. “Hasn’t killed me in half a century, won’t kill me now.”

“But still.” North pestered, concern etched on every feature. “Why you not confess?”

Jack laughed, a harsh, hacking sound. “That’d mean they’d have to believe me.” He said with a smile, as sharp and biting as the arctic winds outside.

Aster winced. If his words had been an punch, then Jack’s were a blade through the ribs, drawing metaphorical blood.

North pulled Jack away, and Aster tried hard not to think of the edge of tears in very blue eyes.

\--'-,-<@

“But then, I guess you’re used to that.” The Boogieman mocked, and Aster could see the hurt flash across Jack’s face, although the lad did his best to hide it.

“ **May Hanahaki never touch your lips!** ” Aster shouted in Pookan, rage making his very limbs shake. A curse, that love would never grow for Pitch Black.

Jack gave him a strange look. “Hanahaki?” He echoed.

Aster pressed his lips together and shook his head.

\--'-,-<@

Aster stopped next to Jack, who was kneeling on a rooftop, hand clutching his throat as he wheezed for breath.

“Easy.” Aster crooned, worry overcoming his competitive nature for the moment. “Easy. In and out. Follow my lead.”

He slowed his breathing, Jack struggling to match it, the wheeze painful to Aster’s ears. He reached a tentative hand out, resting it on Jack’s back, and giving a small rub, trying to ease the tenseness. He could feel the vertebrae through Jack’s shirt, the lad was so thin. “That’s-“

There was a pulse under his palm, then Jack tore away with a cry, scrabbling a few feet away and vomiting a stream of clear fluid with chunks of flowers in it.

There were a lot of purple coloured daisies in there. Asters.

_‘Love, love, love’._

Asters nose twitched as Jack finally seemed to slow down and stop, coughing a bit as he got his lungs clear. It didn’t smell like blood, or bile, it smelled green, of duckweed. “Jack?” Aster slowly ventured. “Why are you coughing up pond water?”

“I’m sorry.” Jack laughed, a gurgle in his voice. “You must be at least a level four friend to unlock my tragic backstory.”

“I have no idea what you’re on about.” Aster wrinkled his nose at Jack, who seemed to find it hilarious.

“You okay?” Tooth asked, suddenly appearing hovering anxiously over them, North and Sandy looming in the background.

Jack flapped a hand at her. “No touchie.” He rasped. “Bunny defrosted me for a sec.”

Spring thawed Winter. Right. “Sorry bout that, mate.” 

If Jack stayed frozen, the Hanahaki couldn’t grow past where it had. Logical solution.

“Live and learn.” Jack shrugged a shoulder, and went back to coughing, but not as hard now. He spat out a blue violet - _love, faithfulness_ \- and sighed. “Come on, we got teeth to find.”

Aster followed, his heart heavier than had been moments before, as they laughed and played pranks on each other, before the shadow of Aster’s foolishness had come over them all. 

\--'-,-<@

“Sandy.” Jack said, his voice low and mournful, then choked on the word. The noise was loud in the silence as they flew back to the Workshop in the sleigh.

Aster wanted to reach out and comfort Jack, who had done his hardest to save Sandy, to keep the Guardian of Dreams from being corrupted, killed. He couldn’t though, not without hurting the kid. Tooth bit her lip, glancing between Jack and Aster, clearly not sure what to do, but wanting to do something to ease their new friend’s misery, but obeying the ‘no touchie’ edict. 

Jack coughed, a pale hand covering his mouth, then gagging as flowers overflowed, bright golden petals spilling between his fingers, almost the same colour as Sandy’s sand. It seemed to take an age before they were all out and Jack could breathe again, his breathing loud.

Aster felt a sympathetic tickle in his own throat as he saw the handfuls of marigolds in Jack's pale fingers. ‘ _Pain, grief’._ Jack held up his hands, the wind carrying the petals away into the night sky, almost looking like a stream of dreamsand if one was feeling fanciful.

Aster wished the wind could take his sorrow away as easily as that. 

\--'-,-<@

“Look, I'm sorry about that whole, you know, the ‘kangaroo’ thing.” Jack said, making a bouncing motion with his hands. 

Aster chuckled in response, his voice quiet to keep from disturbing the sleeping child in his arms. It’s been yonks since he’s had the chance to do so, and he almost doesn’t want to give it up. And, it felt strangely nice, Jack smiling at him, looking happy and relaxed. “It's the accent, isn't it?”

Jack ducked his head and shrugged, not denying it, but not agreeing either. “Actually, I had a question for you. North mentioned that I should talk to you about Hanahaki? You shouted something about it at Pitch earlier?”

“You could say I’m an expert at it.” Aster demurred, inclining his head towards the googies that they’d just sprouted and grown. “How’d you end up with it?” 

“Total accident.” Jack laughed, the ever present wheeze in his breath as he shook his head. “First impression of them was the most beautiful, intense pair of eyes I’ve ever seen.” He said, almost dreamily. “To this day, even. I tried to say something, but...”

He shrugged it off, like it wasn’t a big deal, but Aster could fill it in. “Hanahaki.”

“Yup.” Jack snapped his fingers, then pointed at Aster. “This totally gorgeous person, in my space, feeling me up, demanding I talk, and I’m choking on flower petals.”

“Oh dear.” Aster shook his head.

“Yeah. Not a surprise they got tired of it real quick and left.” Jack’s face twisted in the parody of a grin, that did little to hide the hurt.

Aster thought back to the first time he’d met Jack, pinning him to a tree and demanding to know why he was attempting to ruin Aster’s holiday. ‘Bout half a century back’, Jack had said, which which was about right.

At the time, he’d thought Jack’s dumbstruck look was because he’d gotten caught. But if it’d been Hanahaki sprouting instead....

Aster shook his head. Foolish thought, that was. He opened his mouth to respond, then shut it as North and Tooth approached, and the conversation went elsewhere. 

\--'-,-<@

Aster’s chest felt like a hole, staring at the remains of his holiday. It’s all he’s had for centuries, his largest tie to his forgotten people, and now it was…. Gone. 

He stared down at the shards of the eggs, Pookan symbols for luck, life, health, and good fortune broken and smashed. 

Gone like the rest of the Pooka.

Then Jack appeared, red dahlia _-Betrayal-_ and Aloe _-Greif-_ dripping from his lips, which were stained red. Either from the petals or the thorns from the aloe cutting them, Aster didn’t know which, but he heard the mention of ‘Pitch’ and for a moment all he could feel was dead. Dead. **Dead**. 

Dead, like the Pooka that Pitch Black slaughtered. Like Sandy.

Aster saw Red. Words tumbled out of him, a violent torrent of emotion, not really aware of what he was saying, nor who he was saying it to. Rage, anger and frustration-

Awareness came back with the abrupt force of a sledgehammer to the skull, the realisation that of one of Aster’s fists was raise to strike. His anger faded as abruptly as it erupted by the hurt, fearful look in Jack’s eyes.

Then Jack was gone, taking off into the air, a flower falling after him like a shooting star. 

Feeling numb, Aster walked over and picked it up. It was a crumbled yellow rose, the petals wrinkled like they were dying. Aster felt his throat closing from emotion, bringing the rose to his heart, bowing his head in sorrow, in counter point to the sweet fragrance of the rose.

‘ _Friendship_ ’, was the most common meaning for yellow roses. They also meant ‘ _a broken heart_ ’ or ‘ _extreme betrayal_ ’.

Aster’s temper had always been his greatest flaw.

\--'-,-<@

The lack of energy forced him to transform in order to conserve what little resources he had. He didn’t fight it, shrinking down to the size of a kit. 

It was a little bigger than he felt.

\--'-,-<@

“He made you believe?” Aster stared up at the vivid, very intense blue eyes of Jack Frost, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He’d never known that **blue** could be such a warm colour. “In me-?”

There was something about the way Jamie said it, that made him think it was Aster in particular that Jack got Jamie to believe in, over the other Guardians.

After everything, all the shit Aster pulled on Jack. And Jack had saved him. He felt his throat swell, and it wasn’t just from emotion this time. 

There was a crack of thunder, and everyone looked up to see Pitch in the storm clouds. 

Aster used the distraction to cough the flower out of his throat. It was tiny, more of a bud than a full blossom just barely starting to uncurl, but it was enough. 

A daffodil, one of the heralds of spring, hardy enough to withstand a frost or two. 

‘ _Respect, new beginnings’._

Also ‘ _unrequited love_ ’.

The flower was lost as they run, Aster feeling as if he was absolutely screwed. 

It was a surprisingly joyful feeling. 

\--'-,-<@

They were nearly asleep on their feet when they arrive at the Workshop, Pitch defeated for the next while. He was like a cockroach, squish resistant, always to pop up later. 

A good while later, hopefully. 

“Jack.” Aster called. He was tired, sore, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. Transformation took a lot out of him, probably more than the initial energy drain did. But he had the remains of a holiday to take care of, and the Egg Sentinels could only do so much. 

And he had something he needed to do. Two things.

Jack was leaning pretty heavily on his staff as he turned at Aster’s call. He had dark bags of exhaustion under his eyes, but his gaze was vibrant and clear. 

-The most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen, Aster remembered unbidden, his heart thumping hopefully in his chest. 

"What's up?" Jack tilted his head, looking up at Bunny through his lashes in what might have been a coy expression. Or an exhausted one.

"Well, first of all." Aster hesitated, the words hard to get out. "Wanted ta apologise. Fer how I treated you. Before. And the whole 'never trusted you' bit." He gestured, trying to convey more than just the words. He trailed off, feeling foolish for a multitude of reasons. Jack stared at him, his jaw agape.

Then Jack shook his head, a small fond smile growing across his face. "Thanks, Bunny." He said softly.

Aster wasn't quite so thick that he didn't notice that Jack hadn't said he was forgiven or anything like that, but it was a start. The rest would come with time and effort. Speaking of which-

“Second thing. I can help you get rid of your Hanahaki.” He said, reaching into his bandoleer and pulling out a stone egg the same size as his painted googies. “If you don’t want to do the usual methods.”

“I… Really?” The _hope_ in Jack’s voice made Aster’s throat clench up again, and he swallowed, keeping the flower down for the moment. 

Now that Jack was a Guardian, he had believers, there was the was a chance that who ever he loved would be able to see him now. Listen and believe him. That he wouldn’t need Aster’s help at all. But confessing wasn’t easy, and he owed Jack several times over.

He'd do it even without owing Jack, but it was a relief to have something that he _could_ do for the new Guardian.

“Fair Dinkum.” Aster held the stone egg out, Jack cupping his hands together for Aster to drop them into without accidentally touching each other. “Put the point to the ground and turn it like you would a key. A tunnel to the Warren will open fer ya.” 

Jack’s eyes went wide as he cradled the egg to his chest, like it was something incredibly precious. Or he was afraid that someone would snatch it from him. 

“Just… gimme a couple of weeks to set things to rights first?” Aster grimaced. Jack deserved an explanation for the Hanahaki, which would require talking, and Aster needed a bit of time to get his head on right for that. There were some things that were never easy to talk about. Cleaning up his holiday would give him that chance. 

“I…” Jack licked lips, Aster staring at the little cuts on his pale lips, from the aloe, or from the fight earlier, he didn’t know. “I could help?” Jack offered hopefully. 

The temptation was there to touch Jack, to soothe the cuts, or to just hold him close. But Aster couldn’t, not right now. Not without defrosting Jack, and making him suffer from the Hanahaki. 

Aster had no interest in watching Jack struggle to breathe. He had too much to make up to Jack without increasing his debt. 

“Cheers, but no.” Aster gave him a soft smile, then leaned forward and tapped his forehead against Jack’s a brief touch that was hopefully not enough defrost Jack. “Get some rest. I'll see you soon.”

A tap of the foot opened a rabbit hole, and he was gone in a flash, the ground sealing up behind him before anyone could follow. 

Once alone, Aster gave himself a moment to cough, the flower sliding from his throat in a way he hadn’t really felt since his previous planet died. It was not painful, but wasn’t comfortable either. 

At least until the bitterness of the plant touched his tongue, then it was disgusting. 

He pulled the sprig from his mouth as fast as he could, scraping his tongue on the roof of his mouth, trying to get the taste out. 

It was Rue. ‘ _Regret, repentance_ ’. 

Yeah. That was about right.

\--'-,-<@

“Bunny!” Jack’s voice echoed through the Warren, making Aster’s ears twitch. It’d been just a hair over two weeks, and he silently blessed Jack’s patience. He’d just finished setting the majority of the mess to rights and had a moment to breathe. 

“Over here!” Aster shouted back, heading towards where Jack was. His heart beat a little faster, a little lighter at the sound of Jack’s voice. 

Jack laughed, a bright joyful sound as he spotted Aster, landing in front of him. “Long time no see.” Jack grinned. The dark shadows under his eyes were gone, as were the cuts on his lip. 

Aster bit back a laugh. He usually went longer than that between social interactions. Much longer. The quip on his lips died as Jack held up a finger, asking for patience, then turned his head to cough up a flower, it landing on the grass to the side. 

A pale pink rose, nearly white with the frost that covered it. ‘ _Desire, joy of life’_.

“Ah.” Jack grimaced. “Sorry about that.”

“You alright?” Aster asked instead, pointing up to his own lips. “The thorns didn’t get you?”

Jack chuckled, then shook his head. “Nah. The roses are easier than some of the others. Big petals, and they never have thorns.”

Thornless rose - ‘ _Love at first sight_ ’. 

“I’m glad.” Aster said honestly. His roses were never thornless. 

But then it took Aster awhile to realise his own heart. 

“You said something about knowing how to get rid of it?” Jack said, tilting his head to the side. “Other than confessing or surgery?” 

Or death, since that wasn’t really an option for them as spirits or Guardians. 

“I’m… Yeah.” Aster motioned for Jack to take a seat, well, anywhere, it wasn’t like he had chairs in the Warren, they generally weren’t needed. Jack glanced around, then fell over backwards into the grass, spreading his limbs out with a happy sigh. A few of the googies that were still up and wandering around came over to investigate him.

“It’s nice here.” Jack commented, sounding content, his eyes closed in a pleased expression. 

“Ta.” Aster felt himself blush in pleasure as he settled down, biting back invitations to visit, to join him here. There was a chance that Jack would never want to talk to him, after this. He moved his jaw for a moment, a flower rising, and he pulled it out, admiring the graceful curve of the stalk with the white bell like flowers on the end. 

Snowdrop. ‘ _Consolation. Hope.’_

“Hanahaki was never meant to be a death sentence.” Aster said quietly, touching the flower with gentle claws. 

Jack made a scoffing sound, turning his head just enough to look at Aster. “You sound like you had a hand in it.” He said, sitting up. The googies scattered at the sudden movement. 

“I did.” Aster confessed, then ducked his head when Jack stared at him with wide eyes. “Pooka… We were space faring species that lived across the Galaxy. We were warriors, artisans, scholars. I’m the only survivor, Pitch wiped us out before being stranded here on this planet.” 

Jack stared at him, eyes wide, mouth opening on what was most likely a question, and Aster shook his head with a beseeching look. He couldn’t talk about that that right now. Maybe later, but not right now, this was hard enough as it was without bringing the dead into it.

Jack shut his mouth with a soft clack, then gestured for Aster to continue. Aster did so, tilting his head in thanks.

“Thousands of years before the Guardians were even a thought, I got lonely. I’d created trees, flowers, chocolate, and Spring. Things to bring happiness, and I wasn’t. Then I met the humans on the planet, that reminded me much of Pooka, with their own curiosity, and the way they loved….” 

He trailed off, staring at the flower in his hand. Then he reached out, tucking the snowdrop behind Jack’s ear. 

“Hanahaki was supposed to be a gift.” Aster said softly as Jack reached up and touched the blossom, a light dusting of frost covering his cheeks and catching the light. Blushing, Aster realised. It was unexpectedly adorable. The frost covered the flower as well, making it shimmer in the light of the Warren. “A flower made from you, given to your beloved as a sign of affection. A symbol of what was in your heart.”

Jack looked surprised, and Aster shrugged. “When Hanahaki spread to humans... The meaning somehow became warped. Instead of the love being celebrated, it was seen as shameful.” And became a death sentence, people unwilling to speak the words of love, and choking on it.

Aster winced. “Pooka airways are built differently, Hanahaki is mite uncomfortable, but won’t harm us none. But humans-?” He shrugged a shoulder and spread his fingers wide. He couldn’t change their anatomy.

“Reminds me of a story I heard, years ago.” Jack said, fiddling with his staff. “About a girl who was blessed so when she spoke, gems and flowers fell from her lips.”

“Aye, I know that one.” Aster nodded. “Her step-mum tried to get her daughter to get the same blessing, and got cursed with snakes and toads falling outta her mouth.”

“That’s the one!” Jack laughed, voice crackling. “Always thought the flowers and stones sounded uncomfortable, at least frogs and snakes are slippery.”

And no one ever mentioned that flowers have thorns, or gems sharp edges, and missed the way the girl’s mouth bled, too distracted by the treasures. Aster nodded in agreement. 

“So.” Jack leaned forward. “If you were the one who gave it to humans, do you know how to undo it?”

“Oh, yes. It’s quite simple.” Aster nodded, his throat feeling thick again. “I’m surprised no one figured it out eons ago. At the core, Hanahaki are flowers.”

Jack gave him an impatient look. Aster chuckled, and motioned Jack closer, resting his forehead on Jack’s again, sharing a breath. He could taste nectar in the air, flower sweet. “They need to be pollinated.” He whispered, just a hint of amusement in his tone. 

“What?!” Jack gasped, then seemed to choke. 

Aster released him, leaning back, feeling the Hanahaki fading out his system. The flowers emitted pollen, which was on the person’s breath. Sharing that pollen, fertilising the flowers was enough to send them back into hibernation, their job complete. Either for the person’s life, or until the the feelings returned, bringing the flower back to bloom. 

A kiss worked a right treat too. Which is why the ‘acceptance’ had become such a big part of the Hanahaki myth. Because if they were both in love, they’d both be emitting the pollen. 

Jack coughed, turning his head into the crook of his arm, deep wracking coughs shaking his frame for a moment. Then he sighed, a blue flower, a few shades lighter than his hoodie dropped down onto his leg. 

Periwinkle. _‘Early Friendship’_. 

“And that’s it.” Aster said quietly, retreating into himself as Jack began to breathe easily and clear for the first time since Aster had known him. 

\--'-,-<@

He’d assumed, that once Jack was cured of the Hanahaki, that would be the end of it. As a new Guardian, other spirits would suddenly be flocking to Jack, to test him out or to curry favour. And North had pretty much claimed the winter spirit as his own flesh and blood, so the lad had a family now. 

So it was a bit of a surprise when a tunnel opened up, the a teasing hint of fresh snow filling the air of the Warren. 

Aster had to strain to keep himself from running after the source, keeping his pace to something a little on the dignified side instead of a mad helter-skelter dash.

Still, it didn’t take long for Jack to appear, having very little interest in dignity whatsoever, flying into the room upside down, hanging from his staff by one hand and foot. “Bunny!” Jack greeted him, a wide bright smile on his face that did nothing to help Bunny’s heart rate. 

“Everything alright?” Aster asked as Jack landed in front of him. Jack seemed well, a little less on the grey side, his skin having taken on more of a healthy peach hue since the last time Aster had seen him, getting rid of the Hanahaki.

“It’s fine!” Jack grinned at him. “I just wanted to stop by. You didn’t take your key back and it still worked, so I hoped it’d be okay-?” He trailed off, his smile wavering as he looked a little uncertain. “Of course.” Aster nodded. “Anytime.” It wasn’t like he was hard pressed for company, he had too sharp a temper and tongue for that. 

“Oh, good.” Jack slouched, relieved. “I wanted let you know what’s going on. I got a chance to talk to Cupid.”

Aster’s ears twitched in confusion. “Cupid?” 

“Yeah, well.” Jack shrugged and spread his arms wide. “It turns out that Hanahaki’s been a real pain in the arse for him, lovers dying instead of confessing, that sort of thing, which makes his job really hard. So I told him about the breathing thing, and word’s getting around. Thanks to the joys of the internet, it’s known world wide now. No more dying because of Hanahaki, just find someone else who is inflicted, share a breath, and you’re good.”

Aster stared blankly at him for a moment. “Why didn’t I think of that?” It was so simple. He’d just written it off as humans being stupid millennia ago.

Jack laughed, clutching his stomach as he did so, the air around him practically lighting up.

The Guardian of Joy.

“Well, I’m glad it helped.” Aster confessed, dragging his eyes away from Jack for a moment, before they were drawn right back.

“It did.” Jack beamed at him. “And, well…” 

He trailed off, tucking his staff under one arm and cupping his hands in front of his face. For a second, Aster was afraid the Hanahaki had come back, then Jack began blowing into his curved fingers, flashing of ice forming. 

“You said that Pooka treasured the Hanahaki flowers, as a symbol as what’s in your heart.” Jack said, a moment later, curling his fingers so Aster couldn’t see what he’d made. “Yeah.” Aster nodded. 

“A flower made from you.” Jack said, holding out his hands. “Given to your beloved, as a sign of affection.” 

It was a rose. A thornless rose, made of ice, tinted the faintest shade of blue. 

‘ _Mystery’. ‘Attaining the impossible_ ’.

Also _‘love at first sight_ ’. Twice over, because of the lack of thorns.

“.... Oh.” Aster swallowed, reaching for the flower with trembling fingers. He brushed the curve of one petal with the tip of a claw, marvelling when it didn’t melt. It had been him. 

The one with most vivid, intense eyes Jack had ever seen.

“Do ya know what blue roses mean?” Aster asked quietly, looking up into Jack ant blue eyes. 

Jack gave him a blank look. “Roses are for love, right? I… that’s all I know?” He said, sounding hesitant, shifting his weight slightly as if to run, then changing his mind. “I’m not really familiar with most plants.” He added with a mumble.

Winter spirit, probably didn’t a lot of time around flowers in general. 

Aster laughed. “Oh, it’s more than that.” He grinned, cupping Jack’s cheek in his paw. Jack leaned into the contact, much to Aster’s delight, no longer afraid of melting at Aster’s touch. “Each flower has its own meaning, its own symbolism.” 

Looking back now, Jack had been speaking quite clearly about his feelings. It was only fair that Aster return the favour. His voice lowered in pitch as he leaned forward slightly. “I’ll drape you in garlands of blossoms and teach all the meanings to you.”

Floriography. The language of flowers. 

Jack’s eyes glowed with happiness. “Promise?” He asked, leaning forward and bridging the gap between them, close enough Aster’s whiskers brushed Jack’s cheeks. Close enough that their breaths mingled, no longer flower sweet.

“Promise.” Aster swore, then sealed it with a kiss. 

-fin-


End file.
